Into the Ocean
by LoquitorLatinae
Summary: Steve and Danny get kidnapped by a vicious gang and find themselves at sea with the gang's dangerous leader. Can they hold out until help comes or do they have what it takes to rescue themselves? Danny!whump, worried!Steve Steve/Danny
1. Chapter 1

So, this is my first Hawaii 5-0 fanfic. I've been enjoying this show for a while and just finally got this out! Ah, you can maybe say that I'm a big fan of Danny!whump? I just really like the idea of an injured!Danno and a worried/helpless!Steve. There needs to be more worried!Steve in the show. In any case, I hope you all enjoy! (I had to split the story in two because it was so long, so consider this the first part of a rather long one shot).

O

* * *

Detective Daniel Williams clutched at the dash in desperation, other hand locked against the side passenger window as his Camaro was forced through another body-jolting swerve that just barely sent them careening over the edge of the cliff.

Sure, it was a scenic, beautiful Hawaiian cliff, but a precipice nonetheless.

"Slow down, Jeff Gorden! Remember, this isn't your car! We aren't even chasing anyone so what's with the speed?"

Commander Steve McGarrett didn't even bother to glance at him, dark blue eyes focused entirely on the road ahead, which might have actually been for the best with the speed he was driving. "If we don't cut our suspect off at the next intersection, they'll get into the city and we might lose them. We need to intercept and take them down early."

"Still, whatever road they're on, they can't be going this fast. It's not sane. Just slow down a little, okay? Remember, I've got a daughter who needs-"

"-who needs her Danno, I know. Just shut up and let me drive."

Their team had been after a small but vicious gang of drug runners for days. The guys they were chasing now were some of the lower grunts, the boys who actually did the drug transports. Five-0 had just confirmed their route half an hour ago which was how Danny now found himself clutching onto his car for dear life as they tried to intercept the drug run. If they could catch the perps with a van full of drugs – before they made it into the city and had a chance to distribute – they would be able to make arrests and start questioning them about their bosses. And as much as Danny was complaining about the driving he was at least happy that they were finally going about something a little more by the books. Making official arrests the right way, through search and seizure and possession charges made him feel a whole lot more at ease than the Rambo way his partner usually did things.

Despite his appreciation of Steve's attempt to go by the book though, Danny couldn't help but explode with anxious rebuke as they careened around another corner. "Why, why do we always have to take roads like this? It isn't even a road really, more like a dirt path placed so close to the edge it's like it was designed for disaster."

As usual, he and Steve had been paired up, taking _his_ car for the chase. After so many months of working with Steve and the Five-0, Danny had gotten used to it though. In fact, at this point he might just feel bereft if he didn't have a death-defying experience at least once a week – not that he'd ever tell that to Steve. Steve, his hard-headed, psychotic, wonderful partner. Yes, wonderful, along with all the accompanying positives: handsome, brilliant, strong, loyal. Jesus, he was so far gone – heads over heels with this guy. It was worse than how it had been with Rachael, more mind consuming, this growing obsession only exasperated by the fact that they worked all day together in relatively close contact.

It was something Danny knew that he couldn't put off for much longer. He knew that both of them were beginning to feel the relationship between them changing but honestly between work and their own stubbornness, they had yet to address the issue head on. They would eventually, but Danny suspected that once they did face it, it'd keep them occupied for a good while – hopefully in Steve's house – and he wanted to wait until they actually had the time to spare.

"Danny, just read me what we've got on these guys." Danny snapped out his thoughts when he heard the irritation in his partner's voice. That's right, he had been on a rant before he lost himself to his thoughts.

"Alright, alright." Danny risked letting go of the dash to grab at the file tucked between their chairs. "Kono's got that we're looking for three meat-heads here, all of them judging by their mug shots twice as tall as I am and two times your weight. Real big boys with big rap sheets, everything from petty theft to manslaughter."

"We can take them."

Danny blinked at Steve's obvious confidence then scowled. "No way. Though I appreciate your optimism and apparent belief in your personal prowess, we're getting back-up for this, Rambo."

"Fine, we'll call when we've got eyes on them."

Danny cursed as they tore around another corner and suddenly there was a screech of tires as their front end slammed into the very van that they had been pursuing. "Shit!" He cried out as both cars spun from the impact, hand flying to grasp for Steve's sleeve as the other man spun the wheel to get back in control.

When the car stopped spinning, Danny wanted nothing else than to fall back in his seat and gather his wits but years of police training forced him to kick open the door and jump out with his gun drawn. Steve was one step ahead of him, already stalking toward the busted-up van, his soldier voice curt and stiff as he called out, "Hands up! I want to see your hands up and off of that steering wheel!

The front window shield of the van had cracked into a spider web but Danny could see two figures inside obeying, hands lifting into the air. As Steve went to the driver's side, Danny curved around to the passenger. He ripped the door open and pulled a man at least two heads taller than him out as his partner did the same on the other side of the car. Despite his intimidating height and breadth of his shoulders however, the man was blessedly compliant. Danny never appreciated it more as he rolled his right shoulder with a wince. The car crash had definitely thrown it out of whack. "What the hell was that all about, McGarrett?" he called out as he clicked handcuffs onto his perp, the action difficult since his hands were waving frantically with irritation. "We could have gotten seriously hurt with that idiotic stunt and, by the way, you're paying for that damage to my car!"

"Because I _meant_ to jack-knife into the van? Obviously, if I had known that it was coming I wouldn't have made that turn the time that I did."

"Somehow, I don't think you're telling the truth. But you know what, I'll drop it if you can find the evidence we're looking for in the back of the truck. It'd be just our luck if you crashed us into the wrong frickin' van."

Steve rolled his eyes, obviously on the brink of exasperation. "It's not the wrong van. Call in for a black and white. I'll check out the back and get you your evidence."

Danny rolled his eyes but bit back a retort in exchange for pulling out his cell phone and quickly calling HPD. "Detective Williams here from 5-0. We're going to need a pick up. Location? Yeah, hang on a sec." Lifting his head away from the phone, he called out. "Steve? Where are we?" When he heard only silence in response, Danny frowned and took a few steps around the vehicle. "Hey, Steve, a little help with directions here, babe."

He was sure that the term of endearment would rouse a little bit of a response but when he didn't hear anything afterward, an anxious feeling pricked the back of his mind. "Hold on," he told the dispatcher, "I'll get back to you in a moment."

His instincts told him to reach for his gun, but he didn't hear the crunch of footsteps behind him. All he felt was an explosion of pain on the back of his head before everything instantly went black.

* * *

When he came to, before his vision could even return, Danny could feel that his wrists hurt and that he was definitely in an uncomfortable position. Needing to know what the situation was, he forced his eyes only to have a muffled curse rumble past his lips when the sun's glare hit him full force, not helping his throbbing headache.

He was tied to something, loosely anyway, but a tug proved that he was stuck, with rope probably, wrapped around his wrists. His legs were sprawled out in front of him. For a moment he thought that he was on some weird giant chair, no, it was a deck. He was on a boat. On the top deck, sweating in the late afternoon sun. God, he was probably sunburned by now, though he had put on sunscreen this morning. Frowning, trying to make sense of things while his head felt like it was split open, Danny tugged against his bonds, gasping in surprise when he heard a groan from beside him. He hadn't even realized he had company, but he had immediately recognized voice, even through his haze of pain. "…Steve?"

"Nn…Danny?"

"Shit…" Danny moaned when Steve bumped him as he shifted, aggravating his aches all the more. They were tied to the railing of the deck, just two rungs away from each other so they were knocking against each other in every move they made. "Hey, do you mind?"

"What happened?" Steve's voice was rougher and lower than usual but he stopped his movements and attempt to try and take stock of their situation.

"Well I don't know what happened to you but I was knocked upside the head and blacked out." Danny grimaced when he sensed cold dampness on the back of his hair, contrasting to the hot sun on his face. "Shit. I hope I'm not still bleeding. What about you?"

"Three men were in the back. One of them got me with a stun gun."

Danny closed his eyes—they were definitely in trouble. The yacht was a large one. Even though they were out in the open, there was a covered superstructure further aft, probably led below deck to some sort of living quarters. The deck was made of teak planks, good, expensive wood. The walls were painted white, accented with darker woods and brass. Which was casting one hell of a glare. God, his head hurt. Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a few seconds…

He hadn't even realized that he had been drifting off until he felt a shoulder bump against his. Steve was looking at him as if he'd just found out a puppy had been kicked. "Danno, you okay?"

Danny scowled, Steve's concern irritating him and he felt himself stiffen and prepare for a rant. His anger was fueled further when he realized that even while they were sprawled out on a deck awkwardly propped up against the railing Steve was _still_ taller than him. "I'm peachy. Just perfect. This is exactly how I wanted to start my week, with extensive head trauma and tied to you like a freakin' fish heading to market. And you know what? I'm blaming you."

"You're blaming me?" Steve had the nerve to sound _amused_.

"Yes, I'm blaming you. Somehow this is going to be your fault. It's always your fault. And guess who gets the short end of the stick. Me. Are you bleeding from the head? No? Just me? Aren't I lucky. You, McGarrett, have to be the worst karma magnet in existence. Seriously, you're like a lighthouse for disaster, but you're such a freaking army ninja you manage to dodge it and leave me to get hit with the brunt of it instead."

"Navy, not army."

"Really? You're going to do that now? Do I need to remind you that I'm bleeding here?"

"Are you really still bleeding?" The question stopped Danny's rant, his blue eyes widening when Steve bumped his shoulder again. "Here, let me see." Danny did so, twisting his head around, admiring the front bit of the ship as Steve stared at the back of his head. He could feel the dampness of the blood, but was anything still coming out? After a moment, Steve spoke up again. "It's hard to tell without being able to feel it out. I see dried blood but nothing fresh but it might be hiding beneath your hair."

Danny grimaced. "All I know is that my head hurts like a bitch and I'm still dizzy."

Steve's breath ghosted over the back of his neck, comforting and warm. "Just try to stay awake, alright?"

"No shit, Sherlock." Danny twisted back around. "I don't plan on napping any time soon, despite this fantastic heat beating down on us."

"Come on, _haole_, we can stand a bit of heat."

"Easy for you to say. I happen to be in an actual shirt and tie over here. Something presentable albeit not particularly meant for long exposure underneath the sun. And don't even get me started on all the UV rays we're soaking up right now. You're probably already well on your way to skin cancer. I was actually hoping to live into old age."

Steve opened his mouth to retort but before he could even get a word out, both heard the unique sound of a metal door opening and slamming shut. They heard footsteps before they actually saw anyone, but soon a man walked around the corner of the yacht's superstructure. It was a large man, probably a little over six feet tall, well above Danny's height. He was Asian, Danny couldn't discern any more than that but Steve had probably already determined the specific province the guy's family was from and was thinking up a good insult in his native language – because Steve was definitely like that. He was wearing a suit despite the heat and Danny held himself back from asking how he could stand it; he knew the sweat stains growing under his arms and along his collar were never going to come out.

As the man came closer, Steve tensed as if waiting to be attacked. Danny was just curious to know what kind of guy would go through all the trouble just to kidnap the two of them. Seemed a bit extreme for a gang. Yeah, the gang was known for being rough and ruthless, but this was a bit over the top.

"I see the two of you are finally awake." The voice was thick with an accent but luckily still understandable. "Better for you – I was just starting to think that I would have to wake you up myself. I was actually starting to enjoy thinking of ways to do so."

"Sorry to burst your bubble then." Danny spat, as usual unable to keep his mouth shut. His hands would be flying to punctuate his words if they weren't lashed behind him. "By the way, what the hell are you thinking? You're gonna have the entire Hawaiian police department on your ass so fast you won't know what hit you. How stupid are you?"

The man only smiled. He was far too happy to have captured two cops. "Detective Williams, Commander McGarrett," great he knew who they were, "I am Yuan, and I will be your host for the next few days."

His tone and expression were so annoyingly arrogant that Danny couldn't help but speak up. "I think you're seriously overestimating the speed of this boat. Our team is going to find you so you might as well just let us go now-"

He was cut off with a backhand to his face. Wincing, Danny shook his head to clear his head while Steve scowled angrily, looking murderous until Danny pressed his shoulder against him. He was fine. The hit had stunned him but it would take a lot more than that to take down this Jersey boy.

Yuan continued as if he hadn't even been interrupted. "This yacht is an entirely legitimate private vessel spending a few days in the ocean. There is nothing suspicious about it. Even your top team will take a while to find you. In the meantime, I have a proposition for you, Commander McGarrett." As he spoke, he stepped to the side to confront Steve.

Steve remained stubbornly silent, trying to level the man with his SEAL "don't fuck with me stare" but Yuan continued.

"I have heard about your special unit. Word is that you have access to just about everything on these islands and very little restrictions. I would like to borrow some of your resources."

"Sorry. Not interested."

Yuan was silent for a moment and when he spoke next his voice was tighter and his snake-like smile had died somewhat. "I don't think that you quite understand your situation, Commander. You are going to give me what I want – safe passage to China for me, my crew, and our cargo, one million dollars, and two of my men in your prison set free."

There was no way that Steve would agree to those conditions, Danny wouldn't let him. Sure they had gotten the ransom money for Chin, but that's because Chin had a bomb strapped to his throat. Besides, it would be almost impossible to get two guys out from jail – it would involve way too much paperwork and someone was bound to notice Yuan's attempt to get them free.

"I can't do that."

Good job, Steve. Tell it to him straight.

"I thought that might be your first answer. I also think you might change your mind."

Before Danny knew what had happened, a foot rammed into his stomach, instantly knocking the air out of him and slamming him back against the railing. The damn guy had landed a roundhouse kick right into him. Coughing, Danny desperately tried to get his breath back but before he could, Yuan grabbed his collar and punched him twice hard across the face. He hit hard enough that Danny was seeing so many black spots he might as well have gone blind but the blows had somehow kept from breaking his nose or any other bones. When he felt something damp run down his face though, he knew that there was some broken skin he was going to have to deal with.

"Hey! Get away from him!" Danny thought he felt Steve kicking out, the man's leg moving in front of him but his head was spinning just a little too much to tell for sure. Whether he was jostled or not, a whimper still escaped his throat. Danny figured he was lucky that Yuan hadn't kicked hard at his still-healing knee; that would have sent him into months of physical therapy.

Danny tried to reorganize his thoughts as he heard Yuan chuckle. "Are you going to give me what I have requested, Commander?"

"…No." The word came out much more strangled than before.

"Very well. I will allow you some time to think things over. But when I come back, I expect a more compliant answer."

Danny heard Yuan walk away but he must have blacked out for a few moments because the next thing he knew, Steve was calling his name, the SEAL's breath warm and almost frantic against his cheek. "Danny! Danny?"

"Ugh…" Danny pursed his lips tight, head rolling to nestle further against Steve's shoulder. "Shit. I hate you, I really, really hate you…Not only are you fixing my car but you're buying me dinner too."

"Shit, yeah, sure. Danny, you okay?"

"One of those expensive places too. Where I can buy that Kobe steak or whatever for over a hundred dollars. And am I okay? Are you serious? My chest is on frickin' fire, I'm surprised I'm not coughing up blood from that kick, and, judging by the amount of red now on your shirt, my face is going to look like some sort of Halloween mask after it starts swelling. And let's not forget the back of my head, which has taken a bit of a back seat, but still hurts."

"Danny…"

"And don't you dare give that guy what he wants."

"Wasn't planning on it but I didn't know that he was going to go after you like that." He chuckled darkly, "At least you're well enough to rant like usual."

Danny grimaced. "What? I look that bad?"

"Wounds to the face bleed a lot. It probably looks worse than it actually is but still…"

"Wonderful. Lucky there's no beauty competition going on right now or else you'd have me beat for sure." His dry tone caused some semblance of a smile to flicker across his partner's face. Shifting, Danny winced as the ropes tying him to the boat's railing rubbed painfully against his skin. That and his head still hurt, on top of everything else, the direct sun doing nothing to help it. "Shit." He closed his eyes. "Well, since we're stuck here, I'm going to take a nap, get a bit of peace maybe before that guy comes back to beat the crap out of me again."

Since Danny's head injury had not proven to be too debilitating – and therefore wasn't too big of a medical emergency that would leave Danny dead as soon as he closed his eyes - Steve nodded and encouraged the idea by lowering his shoulder a bit. When Danny was settled, the shorter man's head tucked securely against his neck, Steve finally allowed himself to relax just a little. Danny's face really was a mess – one of the punches had nicked enough skin to cause a cascade of red to wash over the right side of his face, the side now pressed against his shirt. Yuan had to have been wearing a ring or something. Maybe the contact with his shirt's fabric would help clean it off, but what Steve really wanted was the use of his hands and some water.

* * *

As it turned out, when Yuan said he was going to give them time to think things over, he meant it. They were left alone for the whole night. Steve considered himself good at keeping track of time, it came from his time as a SEAL, and it was around midnight when a light rain fell over the deck. Though Hawaiian nights never got very cold – it was probably only in the low sixties tonight – the rain was not welcome, soaking their clothes thoroughly within a few minutes. The clinging fabric was uncomfortable and Danny had begun to squirm in his sleep. Pursing his lips, Steve could only watch as the gel from the blond man's hair was washed away, laying it flat against his face. Luckily, the rain was cleaning his face somewhat and Steve was relieved to see that all of the blood did indeed seem to be coming from a single cut on his forehead. That was one less thing he had to worry about.

As if sensing Steve's intense gaze, Danny shifted. A soft groan escaped his throat as his eyes opened, "Nn, crap…Why am I wet?"

"It's raining, Danno."

"Perfect."

"On the upside, your face looks better."

"Fantastic. At least I'm good looking while I'm tied up on a boat next to you for God-knows-how-long."

They lapsed into a sort of silence after that, neither knowing quite what to say in this situation. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Danny let out a long sigh, feeling the rain drip off of his nose and soaking through layer after layer of his clothes. "How long do you think we're going to be stuck here?"

"I don't know, Danny. We'll manage though. We'll get out of this mess like we always do, you'll see."

As it turned out, their isolation continued well into the morning after the rain had abated. By then the sun was blaring down at them full-force again, quickly drying them off and leaving their clothes stiff and crinkled. Their skin wasn't all that better - already creacking and uncomfortably tight from the salt air, rain, and sun - and Steve could feel the beginnings of dehydration creeping up on him, not to mention hunger.

Danny kind of found himself in a daze in the day-time hours. Steve tried to engage him in conversations every so often. He knew the SEAL was trying to rile him up on purpose, to make him a little livelier; but honestly, he just didn't have the energy. He spent most of the hours just kind of leaning against his partner which was good enough for him – he didn't know why Steve was so worried.

Despite how lethargic he was feeling though, he still tensed as much as Steve when the door to the yacht's superstructure opened again. "Just keep quiet," Steve commanded hurriedly, "I'm going to see if I can talk to him."

"I'm so getting my ass kicked again if you're going to be acting as the negotiator," Danny groused. He nudged Steve's shoulder to show that he didn't mean it but even so, he had the sinking suspicion that no matter how hard Steve tried to protect him (and wasn't that a God-awful damsel-in-distress moment) that he was still going to get hurt again. Because Steve was Steve, and he didn't negotiate with these sorts of people. He kicked their asses. That's what Danny loved so much about him.

As Yuan walked across the deck toward them, Danny had to wonder if there was even anyone else on the boat. It was probable, after all, the motor was always running – someone had to be at the wheel, but there hadn't been a sign of any other life. Maybe that was part of the whole kidnapped and isolated punishment thing. If nothing else, not knowing who else was below deck put a hamper on any planned escapes because they had no idea what they were up against.

When Yuan smiled at the sight of them, Danny knew that they had to look a mess. Maybe something similar to two drowned rats. "I hope you two had a good sleep last night?" Yeah, by that smug tone they had to look like shit.

Steve was being silent again and, remembering Steve's terse order, Danny pursed his own lips together to hold in a retort. Yuan was not perturbed though. "Commander, have you reconsidered my offer?"

"Go to hell." Steve spat. It was a little fiercer than what Danny had expected. He was more ready for a steady, monotone 'The United States government does not negotiate with terrorists.' But then again, his SEAL always did have a flair for the dramatic.

"You do not want me to hurt poor Detective Williams again, do you, Commander? All I am asking for is transport, a little bit of funds, and for my friends to be returned to me. Is that too much to ask?"

Steve's dark blue eyes narrowed. "I can't do that for you. If you're angry about it, hit me instead. Maybe you can convince me if you try really hard."

Tilting his head, Yuan sighed, "Perhaps, but unlikely. There'd be no point if I beat you, Commander. You would take it without making a noise. But if I hurt him," he kicked Danny, just hard enough to get a grunt of muffled discomfort from him and make Steve snarl, "you react, and I will eventually get what I want. Besides, I like the sounds your partner makes."

Words flowed out of Danny's lips before he even knew what was happening. "You know, those are the kinds of things I feel more comfortable hearing from a more intimate acquaintance. You're going to have to take me out to a dinner and movie first before you try that agai-!"

"Shut up."

Danny was cut off mid-word when Yuan kicked him again, the man's expensive loafer hammered square into his chest. This was a harder kick than before and as Danny slammed back against the railing he heard a series of cracks as white hot pain shot through him.

Something bad had happened this time. It was all Danny could do to slump breathlessly against Steve's shoulder, coughing between desperate, quick, little breaths. He couldn't even hear what the other two were saying – the ringing in his ears was completely overwhelming.

"…Danny. Danny!"

Coughing again, feeling something damp and warm drip onto his chin, blood, Danny flinched when he saw the shadow of a person coming at him only to grunt in relief when he felt Steve's stubble-rough chin rub against his forehead. The SEAL was undoubtedly trying to maneuver his head to get a better look at what was going on. "Danno, don't go under on me, baby. It's okay, he's gone. Come on, let me know you're with me."

"Mn'here." Danny sucked in a breath, wincing when the inhale caused his chest to twinge painfully.

"Okay. Good." Steve's relief was tangible by the deep sigh over the bridge of Danny's nose. "You're going to have to tell me what hurts and how it hurts though. I need to know what we're dealing with here."

"Shit." Talking hurt worse than breathing, but Steve sounded too pathetically worried to ignore. He settled on whispering, hoping to discourage any further shifting. "Well, I can almost hear my ribcage crackling at the slightest movement, I honestly can't breathe and – shit – everything hurts." Even his wrists were hurting worse than ever. Damn, it felt like someone was jabbing needles into his skin.

"Your ribs are probably broken but what I'm worried about is the possibility of a pierced lung. You're coughing up blood so that's the likeliest source. I need to get a better look at it but if your lung is punctured, we'll need to find some way to stabilize it." Steve's voice had turned soldier-like, sharp and detached. Even Danny could hear the building panic behind it though, and the fact that Steve felt the need to get into his Rambo mode to stay focused scared him more than the idea of his partner having a panic attack.

Despite the situation, Danny chuckled, though the sound came out more as a choked gurgle. "Too bad …you don't, don't have any bamboo around, huh?" He had heard about Steve's recent exploit in the forest with Chin and that girl who needed to get to the courthouse to testify. According to Chin, Steve had pretty much gone over the deep end, including stabbing a guy through the chest with a hollow piece of bamboo – though that had apparently been in order to help the guy.

"Shut up, Danny. This is serious."

"Shit, you think I… I don't know that?" Danny wheezed then paused. His hands had jerked up in their usual attempt to gesticulate along with his words but this time the movement had felt different. Through his dazed pained-filled mind, he realized that he was feeling something actually digging against his arms. They were wood splinters. Though it hurt to move, Danny shifted again and found that the rung behind him, the one that he had been tied to, was broken. That last kick that Yuan had delivered had slammed him so hard against the railing that it had actually snapped.

Realizing that this was very important, Danny rested his cheek against his Steve's shoulder, trying to find the strength to get the right words out even when the world was starting to spin in front of him. "Steve."

"What?"

"Behind me." He sucked in a rattling breath, able to speak only after he wet his cracked and dry lips, wincing as he caught the taste of blood on his tongue. "Railing's broken."

Steve huffed a breath against his skin, maybe in a sort of muffled laugh of relief even when his dark brows were furrowed with concern. "Good. Good work, Danny. Do you think you can get free?"

Danny grimaced but leaned back against the splinters. He bent his wrists up, shifting his hands back and forth in an attempt to wiggle himself off of the broken rung. Slowly but surely he moved his arms up, trying to get the knot up and over the splintering. Just when his arms were bent at a bridging-on-painful angle he reached the break and he lurched forward, now separated from the railing.

Even just rocking that extra foot forward felt amazing after nearly twenty-four hours of very limited mobility. Rasping out a chuckle, Danny wiggled his wrists around and a second later he was slipping out of the rope and then his hands were free. Thank God!

When he drew his hands in front of him, to look at the damage done, the wide movement exacerbated his wounded chest. Air rushed from his lungs in a gasp of agony but he muffled it by biting his lower lip hard and turned to Steve. Now was not the time to focus on the pain, or on the fact that he wasn't sure he could stand up because he was already dizzy, or that swallowing hurt his parched throat, or he was feeling every single bruise tenfold now that he had been able to move and get his blood circulating properly again.

With shaking fingers, Danny reached around Steve, leaning on the other's shoulder as if it was the only thing keeping him upright, and fumbled with the SEAL's bindings. His fingers felt thick and clumsy, so it took a minute longer than it should have but as soon as Danny had the ropes loosened Steve was pulling himself free and explaining a plan to him – one so thought out that Danny knew Steve must have had it all worked out within minutes of their original capture.

Danny couldn't hear it though, couldn't hear anything beyond the sound of blood pumping through his head. That's it, he was done. No more, everything hurt. He just wanted to go sleep for a few days – maybe when he woke up next it would be Saturday and he could spend the day with Grace and pretend like none of this had ever happened.

"Danny!" The Jersey cop hissed when pressure suddenly wrapped around his chest, sending another stab of pain down his torso. Immediately, the pressure switched to his shoulders. "Jesus, sorry! You with me, Danno?"

Danny forced his eyes to focus. He found himself looking down at the deck, which was strange because his head was spinning so much he hadn't even been able to tell, and at Steve's shoes. He tried to speak but his tongue was annoyingly thick. "Wha' hap'nd?"

"You almost hit the deck. I had to catch you to keep you from hitting the wood. Come on, we've got to move. Come on, Danny."

Danny felt his arm lifted over Steve's shoulder. He tried to focus and get his act together, he really did. But every step made his body shift and bones ache and whenever Steve breathed his expanded chest pressed painfully against his ribs. A pained whimper escaped his lips embarrassingly enough only after two steps and he was already panting like they had just gone on a ten mile sprint down the beach. "St-Steve…I," he swallowed, tasting blood after another cough, "I can't…"

"You can and you will." Steve's tone left no room for argument.

Danny wasn't feeling so optimistic and tried to express his growing concern but all that came out was his partner's name in a desperate gasp.

"I know, Danno, I know. Just a few more steps. I promise."

"-Lying."

"I'm not. Just a few more steps. You can do it, Danny."

Steve cursed as he watched Danny's face pale even more under the red sunburn across his cheeks. They were both dehydrated but Danny wasn't as used to the sun and heat and with the blood loss he was definitely feeling it much worse. He also didn't have Steve's SEAL training, hadn't been taught how to go without and compartmentalize the headache and fatigue. Add the beatings on top of that in the internal bleeding he certainly had – judging by the fresh droplets of blood on the other man's lips – and it was a miracle his partner was still conscious, much less hold his weight upright.

But Danny was a trooper, actually tottering alongside him. His steps were as shaky as a drunk's but he was still helping Steve out a lot. He _could_ carry his _haole_ if it came to that, but with an extra arm he could hopefully pick up some essential items on their way off the boat. While Danny had been sleeping that morning, Steve had come up with a plan.

He had seen a life boat tucked over the opposite side of the yacht – that was the key to their escape. The second thing they would need would be some supplies, who knew how long they were going to be at sea for? Moving both of them as quickly and quietly as he could to the superstructure, Steve carefully lowered Danny down onto the bench along its exterior bulkhead. He caught the other man's attention, motioned for him to be silent, then crept around the corner where he knew the door was.

There was a small port window embedded in the door and Steve took the risk to glance inside. The space beyond the door looked like a compact room, taken up mainly by a ladder that led down to another door – the watertight entrance to the below deck living space – and a shelving unit stocked with different items. It was thankfully free of any life and Steve immediately slid the door open and slipped inside, knowing that as soon as he had opened that door he had a very limited time span to get everything they could need and get out.

The shelf was coupled by a stool leaning up against it and looked as though it had been stocked to function as a sort of temporary post, a place where someone could stay comfortable for a few hours with the items tucked away there. Immediately, Steve snatched up the water bottle there along with the hand-held two-way radio. Undoubtedly it was now set to the channel the gang used to talk to one another but he could make it useful. As he tucked the radio and water into his cargo pockets, his eyes scanned the rest of the items: a pad of paper, a few pens, a small alarm clock, and a map. He briefly considered the map before he realized that he had no idea about their coordinates and would have no way of determining them without the proper equipment, rendering the map of the Hawaiian islands effectively useless. It would have been nice if someone had left their gun or a knife at least on the shelf as well, but he'd have to work with what he had. He briefly contemplated taking a pen, it was a hollow tube after all, similar in practice to a bamboo shoot, before he realized that he had nothing sharp enough to cut into Danny with. He could only hope that Danny's lung hadn't collapsed yet, and could wait until he found the proper supplies.

His had just turned to leave when it happened. The sound of the door at the base of the stairs opening.

Steve darted down to the other door while his hand wrapped around the stool, having all intent and purposes to block the door and trap the men inside but before he got down to the last step a man was already coming out, a gun in his hand. Gritting his teeth, Steve swung the stool at the other's arm, rewarded with a yelp and a clatter of metal as the gun hit the stairs. They both scrambled for it but Steve wrapped his hand around it first. The sensation of a firearm against his palm soothed anxieties he hadn't even known he had and with renewed strength he rammed the man back into the door and slammed it shut, finally barricading it with the stool as per his original plan.

It wouldn't last long, but hopefully long enough.

Shouts in Chinese erupted muffled behind the door as he scrambled out of the superstructure. He had just managed to slam the door on the top deck shut behind him when a bullet broke through the glass port – it flew over his shoulder, so close that he felt a breath of wind through his shirt.

Danny was right where he had left him, sprawled out on the bench. "Come on, Danny, time to go." Without waiting for the other man to respond, Steve swung his partner's arm over his shoulder and all but sprinted to the life boat. Danny was hissing and gasping beside him but instead of begging that they stop so that he could breathe he was instead trying to get his feet moving underneath him. He was trying to help, bless him.

From behind, Steve heard the door open and, knowing that they only had seconds to spare now, the SEAL all but threw Danny against the yacht's railing when they finally reached the side of the boat and began tearing at the line holding the life boat secure.

As he was untying the last line form the rail, Danny let out a wheeze of alarm, his hand fumbling to latch onto Steve's arm. "G-Guns!"

"Don't worry, I've got one too."

Steve sensed rather than heard the mechanic click of a safety coming off behind them. It was one gun against an unknown number and Danny was injured and defenseless. In one rapid motion, Steve stooped down, grabbing Danny's legs and lifting the man into his arms. Danny grunted in surprise as he was deposited on top of the small life boat – not able to actually fall into it because of the thick canvas cover but it would have to do. At least he was somewhat out of the line of fire.

Steve didn't wait for his partner to realize what had happened but dove for the line running through the winch, the last thing holding the life boat to the yacht. The first gunshot ricocheted off of the wooden railing an inch from Steve's forehead. The second grazed over his thigh, cutting across fabric and skin. Whipping around, sparing only a second, Steve fired at the two men approaching. It was hard because he had to be frugal with his bullets – he had six at the most left in the cartridge – but he had to be sparing for their survival. He fired off only two shots, one hit one of their hands, the other found the second gang member's knee, sending him to the ground.

With both men incapacitated, Steve didn't wait for reinforcements to arrive but instead jerked the line free from the winch. The boat immediately plummeted toward the ocean and Steve jumped after it. More gunshots fired as he leapt and he felt one punch into his left arm. As soon as he was steady on the boat, Steve used one hand to dig under the cover for the motor while he fired two more shots at the yacht. They gave him the cover he needed to get the tiny dingy roaring into action and cutting through the waves, away from the larger boat.

Steve kept the motor roaring until they could no longer see the other boat on the horizon, meaning they had at least five miles between them and Yuan. He just hoped that those five miles were closer and not further away from the islands because all he could see right now was water.

He had managed to pull the rest of the cover away from the boat though, and Danny was currently sprawled out across the bottom, his shorter stature touching both bow and stern of the dingy. His breathing had stabilized somewhat, thankfully, now that he could lie down in a calmer environment. His eyes were shut but he had managed to drag himself around so that his upper torso and face was shaded by Steve's body. At least he wasn't getting beaten any more so all his body had to worry about now was healing.

Even though they were well enough away from Yuan's boat, Steve didn't kill the motor. They needed to keep moving. Instead, he rested the rudder against his thigh to keep the boat pointed in the right direction then leaned down over his partner. "Hey, you haven't gotten any of that water down yet."

Danny managed to blink his light blue eyes open though they were glazed over. The bottle of water was still clasped in his hands as it had been for the last half hour, undoubtedly much warmer than it had originally been when Steve had stolen it from the yacht's shelf.

"Come on, Danno. You gotta drink the water for me." Steve took the water from Danny's limp grasp and unscrewed the cap, "You're dehydrated, you need to get some liquid into you. Now drink before I force you."

"Al'rdy 're." Danny's voice was heavily slurred but he accepted a few sips. Despite his heat, the blond was looking disturbingly pale. The cut on his forehead had clotted a while ago, but now the cut was dark and the bruises on his face were beginning to swell and turn a sickening purple-green. After one more swallow of water, Danny turned his head away from the bottle, showing he was done. Steve knew that at this point the other man would usually say something snarky but right now all that came out was another too-thick swallow, "How much longer…?"

"I don't know, Danno. It still hurts to breathe?"

Danny nodded in one jerking motion.

"Okay," Steve sighed. "I'm need to see how bad the damage is."

When he received a nod from Danny, Steve leaned over and unbuttoned his shirt. In any other situation, the SEAL might have felt his heart speed up a bit – after all, it wasn't every day that he had the opportunity to see Danny's bare skin – but any potential arousal died when the bruising came into view. The entire front of his chest was a canvas of colors, a spectrum of pain laid out before him. Tentatively, with careful fingertips, Steve began to feel out the other man's ribcage. After only a few touches, Danny released a strangled hiss. Steve frowned in concentration, the bone wasn't broken, it was probably fractured or cracked though. Continuing his examination, he concluded that nothing was severely broken, which was good because it meant his lungs weren't in immediate danger. Danny had coughed up blood though, so there was some definite internal damage somewhere. Steve just hoped that they could find land before his partner bled out.

"So? M'I dying any time soon?"

Steve blinked up at Danny, startled from his thoughts. Danny had obviously been trying to joke, but Steve could see the concern in his eyes. Steve quickly soothed his fears. "Nah, you're good, Danno." When Danny snorted, Steve couldn't help but smile. "Alright, so you look like crap, but there's a good chance you're not in immediate danger. It's going to be alright. At least we're out of there, right?"

"Terrific…But now we're stuck out here. Not…not a fantastic improvement." At least Danny was getting some of his personality back.

Smirking, relieved, Steve pulled the radio he had stolen from his pocket. "We're not completely stuck." He turned the radio on, nearly ready to cheer when he heard the beep signaling at least _some_ battery power left. "If I can get a signal, we might be able to contact someone from the islands, as long as we're not too far off. This is a military grade radio so it should give us a few extra miles of range."

"Ah." That grunt seemed to be all the strength Danny had left and, as Steve started to scan the channels on the radio for any signs of life – careful to avoid the channel the radio had originally been set to – the Jersey boy settled against him, shoulder nestling against his shin. Resting really was the best thing Danny could be doing right now. As long as Steve paid attention to the other man's vitals, make sure he didn't fall into a coma, he should hopefully be fine for a while.

Switching to yet another channel after continued radio silence, Steve lifted the radio to his mouth again. The good news was that even if the yacht _did_ pick up the signal, there was nothing they could gain from listening to any conversation they might have. After all, he couldn't relay a position he didn't know. "This is Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett. Does anyone read me? I'm currently in an emergency situation. I repeat, does anyone read me?"

There was long moment of silence before crackling static echoed out through the speaker. "…._nder…pt name….know...position…?"_

Steve's eyes closed with relief, a weight lifting from his shoulders. They had a connection. His hand found Danny's shoulder and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We're going to get you some help, Danno. Hold on a little longer." Returning to the radio, he pushed down the talk button. "This is Lt. Commander McGarrett from the Hawaii Five-0 task force. My partner and I are stranded at sea, being pursued by armed and dangerous suspects. Both of us are injured, request immediate assistance."

"…_almost….t of range…angulating your position…"_ They were working to triangulate their position. With any luck a rescue chopper would be on its way within a few more hours.

"Both of us are injured?" The incredulous croak from below caused Steve to look down and he saw Danny blinking blearily up at him with a shadow of his usual fierce focus. "What happened to you?"

Steve shook his head, "It's nothing, Danny, just got scraped by a bullet or two on the way off the boat."

"Come down here." Danny's concern for Steve seemed to have given him a sort of second wind. Not enough to peel off from the bottom of the dinghy, but still, enough to speak in full sentences. "Let me see."

Keeping the rudder locked in place with his knee, Steve settled down next to his partner, pressing their shoulders together as he motioned to his left arm. The bullet had shot clean through skin and muscle, thankfully avoiding his bones. It hurt, but through all the adrenaline, Steve had so far been able to ignore the pain. The most he had done for it was bind it with a torn strip of his sleeve to stop the bleeding. The small scuff on his thigh had only stopped bleeding half an hour ago but it would be fine. Still, Danny didn't look happy about what he was seeing – if Steve had an aneurysm face then Danny had an over-protective father scowl. "Steve…"

"I know, I should have told you, but it's not like we could have done anything about it other than binding it. Come here."

Danny grunted but shifted a little closer to Steve, letting the other man tuck his head against his collar bone, that small space shaded by the bulky motor. Steve ran his fingers through Danny's deceptively soft hair as the shorter man's breathing evened out. Before the last twenty-four hours, Steve had never seen Danny with his hair unstyled. It was different, the hair falling in front of his face and over his ears. The thick blond strands would have taken years off of his appearance if not for the thick covering of stubble on his chin.

An hour after they had gotten radio contact had passed and Danny's injuries were beginning to take their toll. He was having a harder and harder time staying awake and Steve was starting to grow concerned. Steve had used the lifeboat's cover and had pulled it over Danny, draping it over the top of motor. It was a little warmer underneath but it at least provided shade, which was what Danny really needed now that their water bottle was empty. "Come on, Danny, stay awake. You can't go under on me now, not when someone's coming to get us."

"Sorry…" Danny slurred, his dry lips scraping against Steve's cheek. The SEAL could feel Danny's breathing slow even further, the other's man's body loosening to the point of nearly being completely limp.

"Danny." Steve straightened up, patting Danny's cheek. When he received no reaction, he smacked Danny a little harder. "Come on, Danno. Don't do this to me, baby. Don't make me tell Gracie that her Danno got killed in action."

Finally, a quiet groan but a noise nonetheless. Still, Danny barely had the strength to force his eyes open, those blue slits showing fatigue and bone-deep aches.

In a rare show of intimacy, Steve leaned over his partner and pressed his lips to his forehead. "It's going to be alright, Danno. I'll watch out for you. Just try and stay awake." As Danny settled back down, Steve let his hand drift down to press against the other's neck. He wasn't going to be able to keep Danny from falling asleep again – both of them were exhausted from the sleepless night before and Danny's bruises and cuts were undoubtedly exhausting – but with his fingers brushing against his neck, he could at least feel his pulse and make sure it remained steady.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, everyone! So, this is the second part of my long Hawaii 5-0 oneshot! I hope you enjoy it, I definitely had fun writing it! Much thanks to everyone who reviewed the first part of this story: amblue36, Maudlin Mush, Dixie, RaeTucker, ChaosGarden, Live4StarWars, LIGHTNSHADOWS, Magpie1600, parallelpandora, SupernaturalFlames, jacquelin825! Thanks, guys, your reviews and comments really make my day and encourage me to come up with new stories as quick as I can! :D

O

* * *

Steve was startled awake by a low, oscillating thrum. Squinting into the setting sun, he quickly looked for the source of the sound. A helicopter, military grade, was coming their way. As it came closer, he could see white paint spelling out NAVY on the dark blue background. Search and rescue had found them. Steve straightened up before his situation snapped back to him and his fingers flew down to Danny's pulse point.

There was still a pulse, but Danny was now deathly still, thoroughly unconscious. With a soft curse, Steve ran his fingers through Danny's hair then straightened up, waving to the helicopter. Within moments, the aircraft was hovering over them, the downward wind from its blades cutting ripples into the ocean's waves. Steve shaded his eyes to watch as the side of the helicopter was thrown open and a rope fell down.

As a man started to repel down toward them, harness thrown over one of his arms, Steve grabbed Danny under the arms and heaved him up. Danny's head fell uselessly against his own, still dead to the world. Steve couldn't help but whisper into the man's ear, for his own comfort if nothing else. "Don't worry, Danno. I've got you. You're okay now, we've got help."

When the search and rescue member was within hearing range, the man called down. "Lt. Commander McGarrett?"

"That's me. Bring my partner up first." The man was now right on top of them, hovering a mere foot above the lifeboat in an extraordinary show of control on the part of the helicopter's pilot. When the man unfurled the harness, Steve immediately went to help wrap it around Danny, cautioning the other, "Be careful bringing him up. His ribs are fractured and shouldn't be aggravated anymore."

"Understood." The soldier tightened the strap that connected Danny's harness to his own then, with a curt word into his headset, was shooting back up to the helicopter.

Five minutes later and it was Steve's turn to be airlifted out, leaving the lifeboat and the first part of their nightmare behind.

* * *

On the way to the hospital, Steve had learned that the signal he had sent had managed to be picked up by one of the radio rooms on a NAVY carrier. The sailors had been surprised but had reacted quickly, contacting the Hawaii Police Department before beginning their search and rescue based on what little tracking information they had managed to fix during the transmission. Steve had never been so thankful of NAVY-strength technology.

The helicopter immediately took them both to the hospital on land. An emergency team was waiting for them along with Chin and Kono, the cousins' relief palpable as both men were loaded off of the chopper and onto gurneys. Steve was trying to convince the medic that he could walk into the building on his own when Chin clapped a hand onto his shoulder, his voice light with only a slight edge betraying his concern. "Chill, brah, and let them look you over."

"I'm fine. It's Danny that needs the attention."

"And he's getting it, don't worry." Now Kono was beside him. She was trying to put on a relaxed face like her older cousin but having a harder time with it. "There are more than enough doctors to take care of both of you at the same time."

"But," Steve paused, head lifting off of his gurney to watch as Danny was wheeled toward ICU. The man had remained unconscious throughout the flight back. As close as Steve felt toward his brothers-in-arms, he hadn't trusted them not to jostle his partner, and had kept Danny cradled against him the whole trip. If nothing else than to card his fingers through the other man's hair every few minutes and to keep track of his weak but steady pulse.

"Hey, brah, the better you behave the better the system works and the more the docs can concentrate on Danny. Be a good patient and let them do their jobs, okay?"

"Fine."

Kono smiled with relief at the curt response and tapped his arm with her knuckles. "After they're done working on you, you can tell us everything that happened. Chin and I will catch the bastards who did this to you guys before they even finish stitching you up. No one messes with our _ohana_ and gets away with it, right, cuz?"

"That's right." Chin's smile was almost feral and Steve couldn't help but smirk. Yuan was going to pay for hurting Danny, their family would make sure of it.

Once Steve had allowed the doctors to take him into the hospital and examine him, he was, as he had expected, stitched up at the shoulder and thigh where the bullets had grazed him. He had also been put on an IV for fluids because he had been without for over twenty-four hours. Steve knew that the fluids weren't necessary; he was a SEAL, he could handle it, but he allowed it, if only to get out of his bed faster.

His good behavior paid off. Within a few minutes after he had been transferred from surgery to his room, Chin and Kono had come in and he had told them everything that had happened. After the briefing he had all but ordered them out to begin their research. He didn't need them hovering when they could be doing something useful back at HQ.

In fact, if he had his way, he'd be back at headquarters too, digging into any information he could find. As it was, connected to the IV, he was stuck at the hospital. And since he couldn't leave, he might as well go see Danny. His cot creaked as he sat up and wrapped one hand around the IV stand, thankful that it was on wheels, and he carefully inched out of the room. Feeling like a kid sneaking downstairs after hours, Steve crept down the hall. If he was caught up and about the nurses wouldn't let him hear the end of it. There was only one person he took long-winded ranting from and he was in unknown condition somewhere in this building.

After some snooping through the hospital's database, he saw that Danny had been moved from surgery in the ICU to a room not far from where he was. The good news was that he was no longer in the ICU – he was going to be okay if the doctors thought he didn't require intensive care anymore.

Finding Danny's room had taken a little more time than Steve had anticipated, mainly because the damn IV he was wheeling around attracted a lot of attention, that and his hospital gown. He was just thankful that he was fit enough so that the gown wrapped all the way around his body. He was also becoming tired faster than he wanted. But when he finally reached the room he straightened his back and pulled himself together. He wanted to look strong for his partner, and he had to steel himself for what he might find.

When he opened the door, he was relieved to see that Danny didn't look too incapacitated. He was still asleep, and Steve could see bandages peeking out from underneath his blanket that undoubtedly wrapped around his entire torso and his head injury had been wrapped as well, but he was only hooked up to a heart monitor and an IV.

Pursing his lips, Steve wheeled his own IV tower over to his partner's side, grabbing the chair that had been left against the wall and dragging that with him as well. He dropped down into the seat and leaned forward over Danny's prone form. Though Danny slept on, Steve took the other's hand in his own and squeezed it lightly. "Hey, Danno. Told you I'd get us help. You're going to be okay and we're going to catch the bastards who did this to you."

His free hand slipped forward to rub at the scar on Danny's cheek. The bruises were still swollen and dark around his face but Danny seemed peaceful now. A sudden wave of relief washed across Steve and it was all he could do to lean down and press his lips against Danny's forehead to combat the tears pricking his eyes. Thank God his partner had made it. He had been trained to expect that not everyone would come back from missions – he had to experience that loss first hand. But losing Danny was something that he knew would destroy him. It was stupid and unprofessional but it was true and there was nothing Steve could do to buffer himself against it.

Danny's death was going to be the end of him, and he was going to spend his life fighting against that future.

"Hmn…"

A low groan pulled Steve back from his darkening thoughts and his gaze shot up to see Danny's face scrunching up. When his blue eyes opened they met his, dazed and confused, and Steve gripped his hand tighter and lifted their clasped hands into his line of sight. "Danny, it's okay, I'm here."

Danny's eyes narrowed as they settled on their joined hands, trying to ground himself. Then, a small grunt escaped him and he pursed his lips. "…Where are we?"

His voice was raspy and thick, but it was still was one of the best things Steve had ever heard. "Hospital. You just came back from the intensive care unit. How are you feeling?"

"Awesome." The sarcasm was back full-force. "How do you think I feel, Steven? I was beat up by an irate gang-banger, left out in the sun way too long, and had to be in close proximity to you and your insanity for longer than twelve hours. Of course I feel crappy. In fact, this is up there in the top ten of worst that I've ever felt." Then, Danny blinked, taking in his partner's appearance for the first time. "And what the hell's wrong with you?"

Steve shrugged. He had already explained this to his partner but Danny had been pretty out of it in the lifeboat so it was no wonder that he might not remember. "Superficial bullet wounds. Nothing too bad."

"Nothing too bad, he says." Danny's hands flew up into the air, fingers splaying in agitation. "What the hell are you doing out of bed?"

Steve couldn't take the sight of Danny's gesticulations with a straight face – not after thinking he'd might never see them again. Without even waiting for Danny to halt in his rant, he lurched forward and sealed his lips over the other man's.

Underneath him, Danny froze in shock. Then a shudder rippled through his body and he relaxed. He began to respond to the kiss, tilting his head to the side to get that just-right angle where their mouths locked perfectly together. When they finally broke for air, Steve gently butted his forehead down against Danny's. "I thought I was going to lose you."

Danny's eyes met his with that soul-searching depth he reserved for when he was really trying hard to understand. After a moment, he lifted his arm and traced Steve's jaw with his fingertips. "Hey, it's going be okay. I'm fine, alright? You made sure of it, you always do."

Steve gave him a feeble attempt at a smile then kissed his forehead again, lips pressing against the edge of the bandage there as if to soothe the pain.

"Are we going to talk about this uh, this kissing thing, anytime soon? I'm kind of hoping here that it's not just some kind of post-traumatic stress flare up or something."

"No, it's not. It's…" Steve paused, trying to find the right words. "It's something I've been meaning to do for a while."

"So you figured now was a good time? When I am completely incapacitated?" At Steve's blank look, Danny rolled his eyes even while his palm tenderly scrapped over the SEAL's stubble. "You've got the worst timing, you know?"

A grin flickered across Steve's face and he straightened up though he stubbornly latched their fingers back together. Danny had his old spark back and it made him undeniably lighter. "I'll make it up to you."

"You'd better. Not only do you owe me a complete vehicle overhaul and a fantastic dinner, but now I'm thinking of demanding reparations for emotional and physical trauma after you dragged me through this hellish nightmare." With a huff, Danny pulled himself up into more of a sitting position, only the slightest wince crossing his face as he jostled his ribs before he continued on his rampage. "You owe me, Steven. You owe me innumerable favors. In fact, you owe me even _more_ than that because _I_ was actually the one who got free first and in fact facilitated getting both of us off of that boat so yeah, I deserve something big for that.'

Sitting at his side, Steve put on a mock-thoughtful face. "Alright. Let's say I bring you malsadas for the rest of the week and keep the paperwork that comes to your desk at a bare minimum. Oh yeah, and how about if you move your things into my place so I can finally get you out of that shit-hole apartment of yours. Honestly, Danny, that place is a wreck and barely habitable for you not to mention Grace when she comes to visit."

"Did you just ask me to move in with you?" Steve nodded and Danny threw his hands in the air. "He's trying to be nice and yet he still can't stop with the insults. I'll consider it. But the malsadas and light paper load are both non-negotiable now that you put them on the table."

"Danny."

"What? What is it now?"

Steve dipped down to kiss his partner again. "I'm just really glad that you're okay."

Danny blinked then looked up at him with a shy and exasperated smile, "Yeah, me too, you goof. Now, has anyone called Rachel yet? I need to know what kind of situation I'm dealing with."

"I'm not sure. It's possible they called once we had been located. I'll find out for you, okay? Just go ahead and get more sleep."

Danny blinked at him then seemed to decide to take Steve's advice and for once settled back into the hospital bed without much fuss. He must have been more tired than he was letting on but that's why Steve was going to make sure he got all the rest he needed.

* * *

When Danny woke up for the second time, he could hear a murmured conversation just outside his room. Grunting, he tried to get himself into more dignified position. He had no idea how long he had been out for, but he wasn't a man who liked coddling. As he sat up, his ribs protested the movement but it was that healing sort of pain so Danny figured that he was doing better.

Now upright, he finally took the opportunity to scan his surroundings. He was hooked up to an IV drip and a few monitors but the room in general was rather machine-free, which Danny was thankful for – he had never liked hospitals much.

At least, last time he had been awake, Super SEAL Steve had distracted him from the clinical setting. Danny felt a hint of a flush on his cheeks and licked his dry lips. Maybe this step forward would finally end some of the unresolved sexual tension between the two of them. He wasn't planning on jumping into the sack with his partner as soon as possible, but both of them finally admitting that they were attracted to each other was a definite step forward. Maybe now they could finally focus a little more on their job instead of each other. Then again, the kisses they had shared were so good that he might end up paying more attention to his partner's mouth than the road.

Danny shook his head at the thought. Any relationship they had would not affect their work; neither of them would allow that.

Speaking of Steve, one of the voices out in the hallway was obviously his and after another second he realized that the second was Kono. Danny strained to hear what they were saying.

"-you've identified the yacht?"

"Yeah, boss. It belongs to someone named Feng Smith. I'm taking a guess that the last name is fake since he didn't show up in any system. We were able to get in contact with the boat dealer and they were able to give us a possible address out on Ferngrove Street. It might be a false lead but at least it's something. Do you want me and Chin to check it out or…?"

"No, I'll join you. If this does turn out to be something, you might need the extra backup."

From his bed, Danny could only narrow his eyes. He might have been out of it last time he woke up, but he was dead sure that Steve had been in a hospital get-up too. Unless he had been in a coma for a week there was no way that his partner was okay for duty so soon. He crossed his arms over his chest when he heard the door to his room start to open, his face set to full-force disapproval by the time that Steve actually poked his head in.

The SEAL's steel-blue eyes widened. "You're awake."

"Yeah, and funny enough, my hearings just fine too." Danny motioned to the other's jeans and t-shirt. "And last I heard that was _not_ acceptable patient attire."

"Danny-"

"Don't start with me. You're going out when you _know_ that you're not in the right shape for it. You're so _stupid_, what are you trying to do, _kill_ yourself just to show Yuan how to do it right?" He was punctuating every few works with a jerk of his hands, indignation rising to its highest levels. "What the _hell_ is _wrong_ with you? Do you have some sort of common-sense mental defect or something?"

As he was speaking, Steve had moved closer and closer to his bed. As he took a breath, Steve jumped forward, cutting him off before he could continue by slapping a hand over his mouth. "Danny, come on. I wasn't as beat up as you, plus I'm trained to recover faster. I'll be fine."

Danny felt red-flushed anger storm his face. "Chin and Kono could handle this on their own."

Tilting his head to the side, Steve let out an impatient sigh – what gave him the right to be _impatient_? – and said, "It was two against them when we were captured, I'm not about to let our team make the same mistake twice. Now, I'm leaving with Kono. I'll come back as soon as we're done checking the residence out. Chances are it won't be anything. Be back soon, okay?"

Danny sputtered as Steve kissed the top of his head and then left the room – a strategic retreat. How dare he just cut out like that? Danny was in no way done yelling at him, and he thought he could just leave with a 'be back soon'?

"Screw that," Danny muttered. With a wince and a soft curse, he heaved himself up from his cot and removed the IV and heart monitor and everything else connected to him. Pressing a finger over the pinprick of blood left by the IV, he stumbled across the room toward the door.

There was no way that he was going to let Steve go without him. After all, if Steve could pretend that a bullet wounds meant nothing than Danny could certainly say that a few cracked ribs were not enough to keep him in bed.

* * *

Danny hadn't initially considered it when he had signed himself out of the hospital, but his Camaro was not in the parking lot. That's right; it had been trashed in the collision. The accident that seemed so incredibly long ago. He was lucky enough that the hospital staff had kept his clothing – sure his shirt was a mess and smelled like day-old funk but at least he wasn't walking out in that hospital gown. He was just thankful that the rain that night had washed all the blood away, that would have been a hard one to explain to the public.

Once he realized that his car wasn't there though, it hit him that he didn't really have much of a plan. He wanted to help Steve, Kono, and Chin, but really, he didn't even have a gun. Hell, he didn't even have his badge. Everything had been stripped off of him sometime between the car crash and Yuan's boat. But still, it felt too strange to be the only odd-man out, and amongst their team, only he knew the full extent of Steve's injuries ( since the SEAL was unlikely going to give any sign of pain away to Chin and Kono). The idiot was probably going to get himself killed in a firefight when his injured thigh gave an inopportune twinge or something.

With new resolution strong in his chest, Danny marched to the main road. His initial instinct was to flag down one of the many taxis passing by. After all, this close to tourist destinations, they were a sort of constant presence. Until he remembered that he didn't have any money. Because he had been previously kidnapped and everything had been taken. It was like his mind was on some sort of terrible loop. Closing his eyes, Danny took a deep breath, regretting it only slightly when the expansion of his lungs caused his ribs to twinge. Yeah, still not one hundred percent.

His eyes flashed open when he heard the rumble of a familiar type of engine and grinned when a police car tuned a corner and came into view. It was his lucky day. With a quick wave, he flagged the cop down, poking his head inside as the officer rolled down his passenger window. Good, he recognized the man but wasn't closely acquainted with him – hopefully that would be enough familiarity to get a ride but not so much that the man had any negative opinion of him from his time as the force's resident _haole_. "Officer Kalani, right?"

The man nodded, his handsome native features furrowing as if he was trying to work something out. "That's right. You're Detective Williams?" When Danny nodded Kalani's head tilted to the side, "I heard you were still a recovering in-patient." His dark eyes scanned up and down what he could see of Danny, expecting to see blood or broken bones maybe?

Danny wasn't sure, but he tried to stand a little straighter, thankful that his shirt covered his tightly bandaged torso. "I checked myself out a little early. Look, do you think you could give me a ride? I need to check out a residence real quick. Just for a fast conversation," he added quickly when Officer Kalani raised an eyebrow. He had a sneaking suspicion that the other man wouldn't willingly take him to what, knowing Steve's luck, was probably going to turn into an explosive fire fight.

He tried to look innocent as the officer studied him, giving a quiet sigh of relief when the other man finally nodded. "Sure, hop in, brah. I've got nothing going on right now."

"Terrific. Thanks so much." Danny slid into the passenger's seat. "Alright, so we're looking for a Ferngrove Street. I don't suppose you happen to know where that is?"

Officer Kalani put the car in drive, both hands on the wheel. "Ferngrove? Yeah, I know it. It's not exactly the best area but it's not too far from here. Ten minutes, maybe, tops."

Nodding, Danny allowed himself to relax as much as he could as the scenery passed by. He had no idea what he was heading toward but he knew that he had to be there. Chin and Kono might have Steve for back-up but without him there the SEAL wouldn't be able to restrain himself from whatever stupid stuff was always turning around in that crazy head of his. For all Danny knew, the man could have stowed another grenade somewhere – or a bazooka maybe, Danny wouldn't put it past his partner.

* * *

Danny had Officer Kalani drop him off across the street from where Kono's car and Chin's bike were parked. He could only assume that was the house; it wasn't on fire yet but Danny knew that it could never hurt to be too careful. "Hey," he glanced across the car to the other man, "Do you have a back-up revolver?"

Kalani nodded, "Yeah, in my glove compartment. You can borrow it if you think you'll need it but I'll need it back by tomorrow. Gotta keep track of it, you know?"

"Yeah, thanks." Pulling the weapon out, Danny checked and saw a full cartridge and clicked it back into place. A Jersey cop would have never let someone else borrow his gun. One stray bullet could get him in a lot of trouble since the gun was his responsibility. But, for the moment, long live Hawaiian relaxation.

As he stepped out of the car, Officer Kalani's voice drew his face back to the open window. "Hey, Detective, you want back-up?"

"Hey, what are you talking about," Danny offered a relaxed smile, "I _am_ the back-up. Hang around out front though, will you? God knows what's going to come out of that house, not to mention that if something does happen we might need to use that back seat of yours."

"I thought you said this was just going to be a conversation?"

Danny pretended not to hear the question but instead gave a friendly wave and started across the street. His ribs were twinging every few steps but it was at a level of pain that he could handle, one that he could push into the back of his mind until he knew that the rest of his team was alright.

Gun in hand, he crept up to the residence that Chin and Kono's vehicles were parked in front of. Sucking in his breath, he pressed his back against the siding and tilted his head up to peer through the dirty window and see if he could get a handle on what was going on.

The room he first looked into was a living room of sorts, and it was empty. Frowning, Danny shuffled around the house, keeping close to the walls, peeking into any window he could find. Most of the rooms were suspiciously barren of any sort of furniture or décor, further raising Danny's suspicions that this place could be a mere front for the gang that had kidnapped him and Steve. No one lived in this house, at least, no family did.

Suddenly hearing a series of scuffles from around the corner, from the side of the house that faced the back yard, Danny pressed his lips together and edged toward the corner. After a second's pause, he realized that the sounds were not just coming from outside but inside as well. Something was being banged around, and when he took a look into the window just over his shoulder he immediately pinpointed the source of the noise.

It was Chin and Kono, both of their expressions dark with rage and fear. They weren't tied up yet but there was one goon with a gun on the two of them, three other men behind him looking threatening. Another gang-banger was in the room as well but his gun wasn't pointed at the cousins. No, it was pointed toward the backyard, through what must be an open door because the man's mouth was moving and Danny could hear his voice slightly muffled from around the corner.

"Get on your knees, hands on your head! Try anything funny and we'll kill the other two! But you, you're already dead! Yuan gave you your chance and you ran off so you know what? We've got orders now to fill you full of lead. Maybe someone else in your unit will become a little more cooperative because of it."

Shit. A peek around the corner showed that Steve was down on his knees, execution style, on the back patio. The man's expression appeared unafraid but Danny could tell by his slightly wide eyes that Steve knew that he was in trouble.

_Shit_. This was a bad situation. Closing his eyes, Danny knocked his head against the houses' paneling, trying to pull a plan from his mind despite the fact that his thoughts were a whirlwind of panic. From around the corner, the gang with his gun pointed at Steve's forehead spoke up again, "You should have taken Yuan's offer when he gave it."

At the click of the safety being pulled back, Danny's mind went white from terror and he tore out from his hiding place, sprinting three long strides and side-tackling Steve to the ground just as the gun went off.

The pain was instantaneous. Not from a bullet wound but from the agony of his ribs slamming against the concrete patio. Danny had to swallow back the instant nausea as he felt his healing ribs crack and break, his cry of pain drowned out only by the sound of gunfire. Steve had grabbed Kalani's revolver and had shot his would-be executioner three times in the chest. Chaos had erupted inside the house as well as Kono had lunged for the second man's gun, Chin taking out another of the gang members.

Within minutes, the fight was over and Steve was kneeling down beside Danny, his hand on his collarbone grounding the shorter man as pain continued to lace through him with every breath. "Danny! Danny, talk to me!"

Danny opened his mouth but all that came out was a sudden cough and a trickle of blood. Cursing, Steve tightened his grip around his shoulder and called out over his head, "Someone call an ambulance!"

The next few hours was a bit of a blur for Danny but he was sorry to stay that he remained conscious for the better part of it. He was awake when he was loaded into the ambulance, Steve forcing his way into the vehicle to sit with him on the ride back to the hospital. He was awake as he tried to breathe while feeling as if he was drowning under ten feet of water, every exhale bringing blood and fear assuaged only by Steve's presence and the paramedic's constant movements to keep him alive. He was awake when he was rushed into the ICU – again – and was awake until the moment they stuck a mask over his mouth and nose, feeling them cut his shirt and the bandages off of his torso to get at his ribs.

He woke up to see Steve, Kono, and Chin standing over his bedside, the concern melting off of their features as he forced his eyes open. As he let out a grunt, trying to show that he was aware, Kono grinned and leaned down, "Hey, welcome back to the world of the living!"

Pressing his lips together, grimacing when he tasted leftover hints of blood, Danny rasped out, "How long…was I out for…?"

This time it was Chin who answered. "Just over three hours, brah. You gave us a scare there."

"Yeah, but you also saved the boss' ass, jumping him when you did." Kono tossed her grin back toward Steve. "Who'd have thought you'd need an invalid to rescue you, huh?"

Steve didn't smile at her joke. In fact, if Danny had to assign him with an emotion, he would have said that the SEAL looked downright pissed-off. In an attempt to stall just a little bit longer against Steve's wrath, Danny turned to Chin and Kono. "Hey, so did we get the guys?"

Kono nodded, her smile positively gleeful now. "Oh, we got them. That officer you came with really came in handy. For a second I had almost been afraid that we would run out of cuffs. We got six at the house all together and found a small stash of drugs. At first it didn't look like they knew anything concerning the higher-ups of the gang but then Chin and the boss gave them a good old fashioned beat down and they squealed pretty good."

"We've got a location for the gang headquarters and the warehouse where they've got a good stash of their drugs." Chin added, barely blinking at the accusation that he had just beaten one of their suspects. "Apparently a drop is going down tonight and the majority of the bosses are going to be at the warehouse to see it through, including Yuan. We'll stake it out then bust them once we have them pinned for the new shipment – hopefully that added with the assault charges against you and Steve will put them behind bars for a long time."

"Tonight?" Danny tried to push himself up into a sitting position but failed, doing nothing but making his aches hurt even more. A hand was immediately on his shoulder and he looked up to see Steve at his side.

"Yeah, tonight. You'll be able to go home by then but there's no way in hell you're up for a bust."

Danny put his hands up, "Hey, did I ever say anything about going? Unlike some people in this room, I know my limits."

"It didn't seem that way when you followed us and nearly got yourself killed a few hours ago." Danny scowled, ready to retort but Steve just continued talking, never giving him the chance. "Which is why I'm taking you home to recover."

Now Danny was thrown for a loop. "You're what?" he asked.

"I'm taking you home, back to my place." Steve crossed his arms over his chest, looking imperious. "Since I know I can't trust you to stay by yourself, someone's got to look after you and my house is the best option."

"You don't have to _babysit_ me-"

"Apparently, I do. I can't even trust you to stay at the hospital."

"Hey, don't forget I saved your life!"

"And almost got yourself killed! I'm taking you home with me, Danny, and that's final!"

Danny paused for a moment, then a small, sly smirk crossed over his face. "Well I didn't expect that invitation to come with that tone of voice, but fine, have it your way."

Steve paused, reviewing what he had just said before a faint pink appeared on his cheeks and he sputtered, "That, that's not what I meant."

His steel blue eyes, now sheepish, darted over to Chin and Kono. The older cousin only rolled his eyes while Kono giggled. "Boss, you don't have to pretend around us, we saw this coming a long time ago."

"Although I wish you two could have held off for another week. I had money riding this."

"Money I just won. Pay up, cuz."

Danny shook his head incredulously as Chin passed Kono a wad of bills. "I can't believe you two were taking bets on this."

"It gives us some entertainment between cases." Kono said, tucking her newly-won money into her back pocket. "Now, should Chin and I start putting things together for the sting or…?"

Steve nodded. "Go to the police station and get a group ready to head down to the warehouse. I want everything set up down there as soon as possible so we don't raise any suspicions later on. Call my cell if you need any help but I'm taking Danny home."

* * *

An hour and a half later and Steve was lowering Danny down onto his couch. The hospital had let him go into Steve's care for the sole reason that there was nothing more they could offer which Steve couldn't provide. Danny didn't have to be hooked up to any machine, he just had to get lots of supervised rest. As Danny shifted slightly on the couch, he could say that the only thing he missed was the morphine drip. His chest was aching.

He hissed low as the couch shifted slightly when Steve sat down beside him a few minutes later, the larger man balancing two bowls of soup in his hands. Steve passed one bowl to Danny with a nod. "This will have to do for now. Doctors said to hold off on the real heavy food for a few days and to give you something that'd go down easy."

Danny blinked down at the soup then over at Steve. He picked up the spoon but grumbled, "This is weird."

"What is?"

"You gave up going to a bust, an honest-to-God, full-scale drug bust. I'm just sitting here wondering if you've gone crazy or what?"

Steve didn't have anything to say about that, so Danny turned back to his sad excuse for a meal – why couldn't it have been deep-dish pizza? – but when he felt a gaze boring into him, glanced over to see Steve staring at him with an eerie intensity.

"You're freaking me out here," he mumbled into his bowl, "What'd I say?"

Steve frowned, though the expression was more thoughtful than angry as he reached up to stroke his thumb down his partner's jawline. "Danny, you know that you're more important to me than a drug bust, right?"

Danny stared at him for a moment then laughed. The movement twinged his ribs but he couldn't help it and he punched Steve on the shoulder, "You goof, I was joking. But thanks for clearing that up for me. Now, where's your remote? There might be a baseball game on or something."

Half an hour later and Steve found himself watching a ball game with a sleepy Detective Williams resting on his shoulder. He was finding himself drifting off as well, without any stress or adrenaline holding him up he was beginning to feel the strain of the last few days. Steve had just allowed his eyes to close when he felt a tremor against his thigh followed by his ringtone. Resting against him, Danny murmured something in his sleep, twisting a little to press his nose into Steve's sleeve. It was actually pretty adorable and Steve couldn't help but smile and bury his fingers into Danny's hair as he flipped his phone open.

"McGarret."

"_Steve, it's Chin. The bust was a success. I'll send you pics of the guys we caught but we managed to pull in a full warehouse of drugs and about a dozen members of the gang. How's it going with our haole?"_

Steve smiled, looking down at the blond head on his shoulder. "He's doing fine. Just needed a little time to rest. Anyway, send me the pictures. I'll take a look at them and see if you got Yuan."

Thirty seconds after he had hung up, his phone chirped with the incoming pictures of the people Chin and Kono had rounded up at the warehouse. Frowning, Steve wrapped an arm around Danny's shoulders, pulling him closer at the thought of seeing Yuan again, even just his face. He knew that the man's image wouldn't be able to hurt Danny but that didn't stop his grip from tightening protectively when he opened the attachment.

He didn't expect Yuan to be the first face looking at him. He should have expected that Chin would try and match his description first but for some reason he wasn't ready for it. He felt his lip curl up – the bastard dared to look smug in his mug shot.

"Mph…what is it?"

Hearing the gravely murmur at his shoulder, Steve looked down to see that Danny's blue eyes were open, gaze slightly glazed but more aware than it had been for a while. "You're awake?" he asked.

"Who could sleep when you've got a death grip around my neck?"

Steve apologized, loosening his grip, realizing that at some point it had tightened his hold around his partner's shoulders to the point where his arm had indeed slipped up to around the other's neck. "Sorry about that."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Chin called. The bust was a success." Steve ran his fingers down Danny's arm, "They caught Yuan."

Danny grunted at the news, carefully straightening as he woke up a little more, trying hard not to shift his ribs any more than necessary. "You okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I would have thought that you'd have wanted to be the one to take him down with a flying kick or whatever the hell it is you do."

Steve snorted then shrugged. "I don't know. It might have been better that I wasn't there."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"I would have shot him on sight."

Danny grinned but shook his head. "Yeah, I could see that. Come here." When Steve leaned down, Danny pressed his lips to the SEAL's, "I guess I should thank you for being sane for once. And for letting me stay at your place. Still can't believe you made a conscious choice to stay away from some action though…"

"I guess you're just worth it."

"Don't try for sappy, you goof. We were having a moment."

Steve smiled and settled back against the couch, Danny at his side. There was no way he was going to skip out on many busts or chances to go out in the field, but neither would Danny. For now though, this – the two of them just relaxing and recovering – was alright.


End file.
